


Cats and Commands

by TheJediCode



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Casual Hux, F/M, Finalizer, First Order, Fluff, General Hux is a cinnamon roll, Hux Fluff, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-08-28 06:56:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8435866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJediCode/pseuds/TheJediCode
Summary: You are in training as a communications officer aboard the Finalizer.  When you are an assigned an unusual task by your superior officer, you find yourself face to face with one of the most formidable officers in the First Order, who isn't at all what you expect.





	1. An Unusual Assignment

Everyone has to start out somewhere.  At least, that’s what you kept reminding yourself as you reluctantly trudged down the hall to begin your assignment.  You didn’t expect to come aboard and immediately begin a heroic rise through the ranks of command, but this is not what you imagined yourself doing.  You were an officer, after all.  Granted, you only recently graduated from the Academy, and you were most certainly not the top of your class.  You noticed quite soon after your arrival upon the Finalizer that you were one of few who could not boast of exemplary marks that bordered on genius or a lineage of Imperial command. 

You signed on to work as a communications officer, but so far most of your time had been spent learning the ropes.  The training period was much longer than you anticipated, the cause seemingly being the General’s expectations for perfection and overbearing attention to detail. 

In your time on the Finalizer, you had only seen General Hux on two occasions so far, and on both of those occasions he terrified you.  He didn’t do anything in particular to frighten you, such as yell at an officer.  He didn’t seem like the type to yell, anyway.  No, Hux seemed more like the cold, calculating sort of person.  Anger was venturing more into Commander Ren’s territory, and from what you had heard from the other officers, those two were far from friends.

The General’s demeanor was what scared you.  He was as stiff and emotionless as the durasteel walls of the ship.  Every part of his appearance was immaculate, from his neatly combed red hair to the tips of his glistening black boots.  Such perfection made it clear that he would not tolerate any error, no matter how small, from any of his inferior officers. 

That was what frightened you.   Making mistakes wasn’t part of your plan, but you knew you were going to mess up eventually.  When something inevitably did go wrong, you knew you would not be able to appeal to the General’s emotions to keep your job.  Any other superior officer would be understanding, you knew, but not General Hux. 

That’s why you had been terrified when you had been given your new assignment.  It did not replace your duties in communications, but rather existed in addition to them.  You had been delegated the task by the officer you reported to directly, who had apparently been given the orders by one of _his_ superiors.  You wondered who exactly had been given the original command.

You shrugged.  It didn’t matter.  You were the one stuck doing it.

Your boots clicked on the metal floors as you made your way down the hallways of the Finalizer.  You had never been in this part of the ship.  It was for authorized personnel only, and you were far too low ranking to have any type of authorization.  However, on this occasion, you had been given permission to venture into this sector.  You stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like every single other one in the entire corridor.  Was it the right one?  You wouldn’t know until you punched in the code.

You held your breath as you typed the numbers on the keypad.  _Aha!_ The doors slid open, granting you access.  You weren’t sure what you had been expecting from the room, but it didn’t look all that different from your quarters, despite being considerably larger and cleaner.  It was exactly like the man who usually occupied it.  The only touch of personalization was a shelf full of books in a variety of different languages – all of them about the history of the Galactic Empire or military strategy.

“Here, kitty!” you called out, venturing in farther.  “Here…” You looked at the instructions you had been given on your datapad.  “Here, Millicent!”

You spent the next minute or so looking everywhere you could think of that a cat might hide:  behind the couch, in the empty spaces on the bookshelf, under the bed. It seemed like such an odd assignment.  General Hux had left earlier that morning on the Command Shuttle on a mission to Starkiller, and you had been assigned, or rather delegated, to take care of his cat in his absence.  The more you thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. 

At some point you came to the realization that someone was pulling a cruel prank on you.  Of course Hux didn’t own a cat.  It didn’t make sense for someone so stiff and practical to own something as frivolous as a pet.  Besides, he definitely wasn’t the nurturing type.  You couldn’t picture him taking care of another living thing voluntarily.  He barely held his fellow man in any kind of regard. 

Someone had set you up.  You had clearly been given instructions so you would be caught in the command sector without authorization.  You sat down on the edge of the bed, and tears began to well up in your eyes.  You were close to crying when you felt something brush up against your leg.  A cat!  Rubbing against your ankles was a slender orange tabby.  You had no idea where she came from, but you had never been happier to see any sort of animal before.

“Hello there,” you cooed, reaching down to scratch the top of her head.  “You must be Millicent.”

So your assignment obviously wasn’t a joke.  That didn’t make it any less bizarre.  You pulled the cat into your lap and stroked her smooth fur, relieved that you weren’t being tricked.

In an odd sort of way, Millicent looked quite a bit like her owner.  She had sleek ginger fur that was strikingly similar to General Hux’s carefully slicked back red hair.  She even carried herself the same way, self-assuredly with her head held high.  Unlike the General, however, she was quite an affectionate individual.  You couldn’t help but giggle when Millicent nuzzled her little face into your neck.  This was one assignment you were going to enjoy.

***

You quickly developed a routine.  Each morning you paid a quick visit to Millicent to feed her and clean out her litter box before reporting to the communications sector for your actual job.  After your duties were finished for the day, you dropped in again to provide her with some company and brush her fur.  You also stopped by at breaks and meals because, as much as you hated to admit it, you were rather fond of General Hux’s cat.  In fact, you realized that you might be sad when he returned and your services were no longer required.  Maybe it was wishful thinking, but you thought that Millicent might miss you too after the time you had spent together.

One night you were lying on your stomach in the floor of the General’s quarters, dangling a piece of string in front of the orange kitten when the vacuum-like sound of a blast door opening caught your attention.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my quarters?” an angry voice demanded.

You craned neck to look behind you and saw that it was none other than General Hux himself.  You immediately jumped to your feet and saluted him with your right hand, the string still dangling from your left.

“Officer (L/N), sir,” you reported. 

“At ease, Officer (L/N).  I’ll ask you again.  What are you doing in my quarters?  You do not have authorization to be in this part of the ship.  Explain yourself.”

“I-I’m here on assignment, s-sir.”  You forgot how much he terrified you.  How did Millicent put up with him?

“And what exactly might that assignment be?” he scowled.

“I’ve, um… I’ve been taking care of your cat, sir.”

“You?” He seemed genuinely surprised and… embarrassed?

“Yes, sir.”

“How were you assigned this task?  I told Captain Phasma to watch Millicent for me.”

“Well…” you began the long list the job passed through.  “Captain Phasma gave the job to a lieutenant – Mitaka, I believe – who is allergic to cats, so he passed it to another lieutenant, who passed it to the superior officer I report to, who passed it to me.”

Millicent noticed that you were still holding the string and began to jump and bat at it, attempting to play.  Absentmindedly, you picked her up and held her against your chest where she began to purr contently.

“Millicent certainly seems to be fond of you,” he acknowledged.  “You must have taken good care of her.”

It must have been a trick of the light or a wish-fulfilling hallucination.  There was no way what you were seeing was real.  Was the General actually smiling?  If he was, it was just barely – more of a satisfied grin than an expression of happiness.  Still, it was something you doubted many people aboard the Finalizer had ever seen.  You noticed that it made him appear less threatening.  In fact, he was rather handsome when he didn’t have a giant scowl plastered across his face.

“Well, sir, I enjoyed doing it,” you admitted.  “Millicent is a very well behaved feline.”

“Yes she is, isn’t she?” he agreed with what sounded like pride in his voice, looking down at the cat in your arms.  His eyes snapped back up to meet yours and he resumed his usual tone of voice.  “The next time I leave on the Command Shuttle, Officer (L/N), it will be your duty to look after her again.”

“Yes, sir.  It would be my pleasure.”


	2. An Unconventional Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You resume your assignment of watching General Hux's cat in his absence. When he returns earlier than expected, you are in for a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically casual Hux fluff. My heart melted a little bit when I was writing it.

Less than a month after your encounter with Hux, you received word from your supervisor that you were to resume your duties in caring for Millicent while General Hux was on Starkiller Base, where he would be spending a considerable amount of time.  The base was nearly operational, so he was busy finalizing the plans for it to be tested.  You weren’t sure how long he would be gone.

“Hello there, Millicent!” you called when you entered the General’s empty quarters.  The slender tabby slunk out from behind the sleek black sofa and meowed cheerfully, running to rub against your ankles.  She clearly remembered you. “How are you today, pretty girl?”

Millicent was quite a loving cat.  She constantly wanted attention, but not in a touch-starved way like you had originally assumed.  She was very clear about letting you know exactly how she wanted to be scratched or petted.  Hux must have been very affectionate towards her – a fact that surprised you a great deal.  You were learning all sorts of things about the General.

“Is the General a good owner, Milly?” you asked her, lying on your back on the metal floor with her curled up in a ball on your stomach.  You hadn’t yet grown comfortable with the idea sitting on Hux’s sofa. 

To your dismay, she offered no response.

“Does he love you a lot?” you questioned in a baby voice, waving her front paws around.  “Does he pet you and give you little kitty snuggles?”

You tried to picture the General of the First Order holding the little orange feline and kissing her tiny nose.  It wasn’t an image your mind could conjure easily.  You couldn’t even imagine what Hux would look like in a nonprofessional setting.  He surely owned casual clothing, but your brain refused to consider him in anything other than his uniform.

You made excuses to visit Millicent multiple times a day.  Whenever you got a moment away from your regular duties, you found yourself walking to the General’s quarters to see your furry friend.  A couple of times you accidentally missed dinner because you were too busy playing with her.  Who would have thought that you would care so much about an animal that belonged to someone else?

After one of the occasions that you remembered to eat dinner, you made your way back to the Command Sector of the ship and punched the entrance code into the keypad.  Huh, that was strange.  The lights were still on.  You could have sworn you turned them off before you left.  With a shrug, you entered.

You had to blink several times to make sure what you were seeing was real.  General Hux was seated with his legs tucked underneath him at the end of the couch, wrapped in a blanket with Millicent seated on the back of the sofa beside his head.  In his hands was one of the many military history books that lined his shelves.  His mouth was moving, but it took you a moment to process exactly what he was saying.  He was reading what was written on the pages out loud to his cat.

“’ _The first Death Star had a glaring weakness in its design, making its destruction inevitable once the enemy came into possession of the plans.’_   See, Millicent, here’s a picture of it.”  He held the book up over his shoulder so she could look at the diagram, and she playfully batted at the page.  He smiled – a real, genuine smile – and laughed before continuing his reading.

For the first time, you saw the General for what he really was:  a man.  Somehow it had slipped your mind during every one of your encounters with him that Hux was an actual human man.  His rigid demeanor didn’t allow you to see him as anything but the title he bore, which you suddenly realized was completely intentional.  It struck you that you were never supposed to see him in such a vulnerable state.  It could tarnish the respect you had for him as the most superior officer aboard the Finalizer.

You stood in the doorway for quite some time watching the scene play out until General Hux noticed your presence and rose to stand.  Without the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, you could see that he was not in uniform.  He still wore the black uniform pants you were used to seeing him in, but on top he only wore a plain black t-shirt.  Also missing from the ensemble was the pair of shiny black boots that always made his footsteps echo when he walked through the corridors of the ship.

“Officer (L/N), is there a reason you are in my quarters?” His voice was firm and articulate, despite his casual appearance and the slight reddish tinge to his cheeks.

“Sir, I was not informed that you had returned to the Finalizer.” You immediately saluted him.  “I was just completing my duties.  I meant no intrusion, sir.”

Noticing that she was no longer the center of attention, Millicent hopped up from her leisurely position on the back of the couch and made her way over to where you and General Hux stood and began crying out loudly.  He sighed and made a move to pick her up, but she darted away and began weaving between your ankles, rubbing up against your calves.  She stood up on her hind legs and pawed at your knees, urging you to lift her.  You obliged and scooped her up in your arms.

“All of Millicent’s basic needs have already been taken care of,” Hux pointed out.  He was right. You had fed and cleaned up after her that morning.

“Well, sir, I thought…”

“At ease, officer,” he ordered, noticing you were still saluting him with one hand while you held Millicent with the other.  “I think I know why you’re here.”

“Sir?” you asked, blushing.  Why did he think you were in his quarters?

“As I said the last time I found you here, Millicent seems rather fond of you.  I think you might be partial to her yourself.”

“She’s a lovely cat, sir,” you heard yourself saying to him.

She’s a lovely cat? Your red cheeks deepened a shade.  Of all the responses you could have made, you chose the one that made you sound like an imbecile. 

“I agree completely,” he said with a smirk, reaching out to scratch the feline’s ears. It took a moment for you to realize that his agreement was with your praise of Millicent and not your self-deprecating internal monologue. 

It was so odd to see the General of the First Order in this context.  He still held firmly to all of the regular formalities, but you couldn’t overlook the way he was dressed.  Seeing him out of uniform gave you a whole new perspective. 

“This encounter should not affect the way you address me or interact with me in a professional setting,” he informed you, as if he could read your mind.  He couldn’t, of course.  Kylo Ren was the only person on the ship who had the ability to do that.  “First and foremost, I am your commanding officer.  Regardless, because you obviously enjoy Millicent’s company and she seems to enjoy yours quite a bit as well, I will allow you to visit her on a nonprofessional basis.  I dare say she would appreciate the extra attention.”


	3. A Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have an unexpected encounter with General Hux.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update, guys. I've been busy with midterm papers and just recently got over a bout of the flu. My fist priority was my Obi-Wan fic because I already had most of my next chapter finished for that one. Never fear, though, because I would never forget about everyone's favorite angry space officer. Here's the new chapter you've been waiting for!

One night you lay awake in bed thinking about the General’s words and seriously considered taking a trip to the command sector. Being able to see Millicent whenever you wanted initially sounded like a dream come true.  You imagined snuggling up with the ginger cat after a stressful day.  You didn’t take into account at the time, though, that going to play with Millicent meant going to General Hux’s quarters.  While that didn’t bother you when he was away on Starkiller Base, it was another matter entirely when he was present on the ship.  You knew you would never be able to walk up and knock on Hux’s door and ask to enter, even if you had permission to do so.

He still intimidated you, even after you had seen him out of uniform and even after you had seen him behaving affectionately towards his pet.  It was ridiculous!  The man read out loud to his cat, and still he was the most formidable person you had ever met.  If you made one wrong move, he had the power to end your career… or worse. 

It was almost scarier knowing that he was a just regular person when he had free time.  The man who read books on the sofa while wrapped up in a blanket was also the commanding officer who could silence an entire room just by entering.  The man who named his cat Millicent was also the one who was close to wielding the power to blow up entire star systems, wiping out every last trace of life.  How could two such different personalities exist within the same exterior?

The more you considered this, the more curious you became about who General Hux really was.  You would never find out by asking the other officers.  They had only ever experienced the side of him that monitored their work with a meticulous eye and criticized even the tiniest mistakes.  There was only one person who could teach you anything of value about the true character of the General, and that was Hux himself.  Considering the fact that you avoided speaking to him on a professional basis, you couldn’t possibly imagine asking him to reveal the finer points of his nature as a person.

You weighed your options, deciding eventually that it was far too late to go knocking on the General’s door.  He was surely sleeping, and the last thing you wanted to do was disturb him.  Besides, you didn’t want to do anything that would sour his mood and cause everyone on the ship to suffer.  He was grouchy enough after a decent amount of sleep, and you had no desire to experience his demeanor when he hadn’t gotten his beauty rest.  You were beginning to doze off yourself when you heard muffled shouting in the hallway outside your door.

Grumbling discontentedly under your breath, you dragged yourself out of bed.  The shock of your bare feet hitting the cold metal floor jolted you out of your unalert state, and you made your way to the door, where you poked your head out into the hallway to see what all the ruckus was about.

“…not my fault.  If you would keep it on a leash,” a voice obscured by a vocoder intoned, “this wouldn’t even be a problem.”

“Not your fault?” you heard the incredulous voice of General Hux scoff.  “Every bit of this is _your fault_ , and I fully expect you to fix your little mistake.”

“Like I said, a leash would…” that metallic voice began.

“I’m not going to put a cat on a leash, Ren.  That’s preposterous.”

“Not as preposterous as keeping a cat on a warship in the first place."

Your eyes landed on the pair arguing.  General Hux was standing several feet down the hall with his back to you, speaking to a man wearing a mask and dark robes – Kylo Ren.

“You’re the one who let her out, Ren.  If you don’t find her, I’ll…”

“Don’t make threats you can’t hope to deliver on, Hux,” Commander Ren tutted.  “Empty promises are not befitting someone of your rank.”

“All I’m asking is for you to find the damn cat.  Can’t you use the Force for this sort of thing?”

“It doesn’t work on cats,” Ren stated, the smirk on his face apparent despite the fact that his face was entirely obscured by his mask.

“Find her,” the General growled. “Or else.”

Kylo Ren turned on his heel and stormed off down the hall.  General Hux turned with a heavy sigh and froze, surprise momentarily evident on his stoic face upon seeing your head sticking out into the corridor.

“Officer (L/N),” he nodded in acknowledgement.

“Good evening, General.” You saluted your superior.

“At ease, officer.  What are you doing awake at this hour?  This had better not interfere with your work tomorrow.  I expect all of my communications officers to be working at their peak performances at all times.  Staying up after hours is hardly a way to maintain a proper work ethic.”

“I was just in bed, sir,” you explained.  “I heard a commotion in the hallway and decided to investigate.”

“I see.  Officer (L/N), there is a small problem I believe you may be able to help me with.”

“Sir?”

“Commander Ren paid a visit to my quarter earlier today and allowed Millicent to escape.  I’ve been searching for her with no luck.  Is there any chance you’ve seen her?”

“No, sir.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” you assured him, “I’m positive.”  You surely would have remembered if you saw an orange tabby cat wandering the bleak gray halls of the Finalizer.  Any sign of life aside from Stormtroopers and First Order officers was so rare that it was sure to draw a large amount of attention.  Frankly, you were surprised that you hadn’t spent the whole day hearing reports of a living creature loose in the ship.

“Millicent is friendly, but she isn’t likely to approach someone she doesn’t know if she thinks they’re trying to catch her.  She seems to trust you quite a bit, Officer (L/N),” General Hux acknowledged.  “Perhaps you can help me find her.”


	4. A Nighttime Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and General Hux begin a two-person search party. Millicent makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all enjoying this! I love to get feedback and hear what you guys have to say, so feel free to leave comments. I try to respond to all of the comments and usually reply within a day.

You were taken aback by his request.  Though the General’s voice was still authoritative, it didn’t sound like a command.  You had never before heard the man give an instruction that was not a direct order.  Still, you were in no position to refuse an officer as high-ranking as Hux.

“Of course, sir,” you told him.  “I’ll help you look for Millicent.  Just let me change clothes first, and I…”

“There’s no time for that, officer,” he huffed, waving his hand dismissively in your direction.  “We must find Millicent before she gets into something that could hurt her.  Almost everyone is asleep at this hour, and you are not currently on duty.  Protocol dictates that you need not be in uniform.  Besides, you look fine.”

Had you heard that right?  The stiff practicality and logic were all Hux, but he had also commented on your appearance.  Of course, he had only said that you looked _fine_ , but the General might as well have said you were positively resplendent.  It was such an out of character thing for him to say, especially considering that you were wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, both in regulation black.

“Can I at least put some shoes on, sir?” you asked.

He looked down at your bare feet and frowned.  “Yes, I suppose that would be in order.  Do it quickly, though.”

He certainly was in a hurry to find his cat, you mused as you searched your room briefly for your shoes.  It made sense though, you noted as you spotted your uniform boots and pulled them on.  Millicent was probably the only thing the General cared about besides the First Order. 

When you stepped back out into the hallway, the General was standing with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently on the metal floor.  His face softened from his typically severe countenance into an expression that looked almost like a smile.  You realized with some embarrassment that he was laughing at your appearance.  You looked ridiculous in your pajamas and boots, your hair still a mess from tossing and turning in bed. 

“Okay,” you spoke up, causing his face to return to its usual state of austerity.  “Let’s go find ourselves a cat.”

 _Let’s go find ourselves a cat?_ You groaned internally, gaze falling to the floor.  That was no way to address a superior officer, especially a general.  Such language was far too casual, and you didn’t even call him sir.  When you looked back up, you were surprised to see General Hux’s mouth turn up at one corner, hinting at another grin.

“After you, officer.”  He extended a hand and gestured to the empty halls, inviting you to lead the way.

It was an odd experience to be placed in charge of the situation.  Instead of feeling powerful leading your superior, you felt unsure and a little nauseous.  What if you made a mistake?  You had seen his reaction to the errors of your colleagues.  What would he do if you screwed up a task as important to him as finding the one creature in the universe he actually cared for?  More confusingly, _why_ was he choosing to follow _you_?

You wandered the halls rather aimlessly for a while, scanning your periphery for any signs of movement that might indicate the presence of the missing feline, darting into rooms she might have slipped into.  Each time you came to a door you weren’t personally authorized to enter but that there was a possibility Millicent could have snuck in, the General punched in his access code.  When you paused anxiously outside the door the first time, he ushered you inside and assured you that the reason you weren’t authorized was merely as a matter of protocol, not because the rooms contained any kind of sensitive information.  He wouldn’t let you in if there were a legitimate reason you weren’t allowed inside. Wherever Millicent was, she must have been well-hidden.  There was no hint of her presence anywhere.

“Sir,” you addressed General Hux nervously as you walked, unsure if you were permitted to speak under such circumstances.

“Yes, (L/N)?”

“I thought perhaps that we should come up with a strategy for our search.”

“What would you suggest?” His voice lacked some of its usual coldness, and the tone was not condescending as it normally was.  He sounded like he genuinely wanted to hear your ideas.

“Well, sir, I thought that we could divide the work to save time.  You’re pretty tall, so you can reach higher than me and see over things I can’t.  You could check high places inside the rooms like on shelves or in high cabinets and vents.  I’m considerably shorter than you, so I’ll search low.  I can check under furniture and stuff like that.  That way we’ll be thorough, and we won’t waste time checking in the same places as each other.”  You waited tensely for him to criticize your plan.

“I don’t think that will make much of a difference.”  You frowned at his words. You knew he would dismiss your plan as childish, but it still hurt a little bit to hear him say it out loud. You were mentally berating yourself for saying anything at all when he continued, “Every little change that garners efficiency will help, though.  Good thinking, officer.”

Again, that small hint of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.  While your face remained impassive, pride welled up within you at your superior’s compliment as you implemented the new strategy as you searched.  Once, you caught yourself staring at General Hux as he reached over his head to open a cabinet.  His lithe form was stretched out, making him look taller and more formidable than usual.  He really was an enigma to you.  No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t understand the man.

Back in the corridors of the Finalizer, you continued your mission to find Millicent.  You halted in your tracks when you heard voices coming from around the corner to the right. 

“I’m sorry.  It won’t happen again.  I promise!” a man panicked.

“You’re absolutely right,” a cold, electronically modulated voice replied.  “It won’t.”

General Hux nudged your shoulder gently and whispered, gesturing in the direction opposite of where the sounds of conversation originated.  “Let’s go the other way.”

He wanted to avoid Kylo Ren – something you understood completely.  The Commander scared you senseless, but you couldn’t imagine Hux feeling afraid of anything, or feeling any sort of emotion at all for that matter.  It was well known that the two didn’t like each other, but this seemed a little childish.  Was their rivalry really so petty?

As you followed Hux down the other hallway, you looked back at Kylo Ren, who was yelling at an inferior officer about something you thought was probably inconsequential, his hand twitching by his side where you knew his lightsaber was located.  His back was to you, making him look like a terrifying pillar of black fabric. Your gaze dropped to the floor where you saw something small and orange standing out against the dark material.

“General!” you gasped, stopping in your tracks.

“What is it, (L/N)?” He neither turned around nor ceased his forward motion.

“I think we should go the other way, sir.”

“Absolutely not.”

You rushed to catch up with him.  “General,” you tugged at his sleeve, urging him to turn around, “look.”

He froze in his tracks and looked down at your hand on his arm.  His eyes narrowed, and you had the distinct feeling in your gut that he was going to yell at you – or possibly hit you.  How could you be so thoughtless as to lay a hand on your superior officer?  When he looked up at you, though, you realized there was no anger in his expression.  Instead, he seemed to be observing you curiously, and with some embarrassment, you realized that you were still holding his sleeve between your fingers.

“It’s Millicent,” you explained, removing your hand and pointing in the right direction.

While Kylo Ren continued to shout at the poor officer who had the misfortune to make a mistake, the ginger tabby cat was snuggling up in the dark material of his robes, wrapping herself up in the fabric that brushed against the ground.  A look of abject horror was plastered across General Hux’s face, and you tried to stifle a laugh as you watched the scenario unfold before you.  Unbeknownst to the Commander, Millicent had made a new friend.


	5. An Unpleasant Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have an unpleasant encounter with Kylo Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since the last update, and I'm sorry for that. I was finishing up my Obi-Wan fic (the last chapter will be posted soon) and working on my Anakin AU story. Thanks for waiting!

“What do we do?” you asked, your voice a whisper as you and General Hux peered around the corner.  Millicent appeared to be perfectly content snuggling up to an oblivious Kylo Ren, but the thought of it made you nervous.  Judging from the sickly sallowness that had risen on the General’s already pale face, it was a sentiment he shared.

 

“You distract Commander Ren,” he ordered.  “I’ll grab Millicent.”

 

“I mean no offense, sir, but I think it might be best if we reverse that.  You should distract the Commander, and I’ll get the cat.”

 

“And why do you propose that?”

  
“Well,” you nervously admitted, still wary about speaking your mind to the General, “if I were to distract Commander Ren, I could very easily receive punishment.  I’m afraid of how he might react to me addressing him directly. He isn’t the friendliest person, as you surely know, sir.  He might be more receptive to you, someone of rank, requiring his attention.”

 

Hux sighed impatiently.  “Very well, then.”

 

He brushed off the front of his uniform, smoothed back his already impeccably sleek hair, and drew himself up to full height.  In just a matter of seconds, he transformed from the man with whom you had genuinely been enjoying yourself into a completely different person who, quite frankly, terrified you.  He stalked off down the hallway, each step full of purpose and power.  You felt pity on anyone who might dare cross his path.

 

“Ren,” he bellowed, “what is the meaning of this?  Why are you harassing one of my officers?  Everyone on this ship has a job to do, and you are getting in the way of that.”  He turned to the poor man Kylo Ren was yelling at, who looked like he was only moments away from wetting his pants.  “Officer, you are dismissed.  Return to your post.”

 

When General Hux had engaged the Commander in angry conversation, you took it as your cue to sneak up and get Millicent, who had begun the lengthy process of taking a bath.  She was posed with one hind leg in the air, licking her paw clean, when you reached out.  The second she realized you were trying to grab her, she immediately darted away, nothing more than a streak of orange fur running down the hallway.  You lunged out to try and catch her, slipping on the hem of Kylo’s robe in the process, causing you to fall down and pull the Knight of Ren with you to the floor.

 

You could feel the anger radiating off of the Commander as you rose to your feet and extended a hand to help him up, which he rejected.  He stood and stepped close to you, his ominously large figure looming over you.  You looked up at him, waiting for him to berate you in front of General Hux, but he remained silent, his stare painfully intense, even though you could not see his eyes.  What you could see was your own terrified face reflected in the front of his helmet.  Of all the people on the Finalizer you could have knocked down, why did it have to be the one most likely to have you killed for a minor infraction?

 

You could have sworn you heard a huff of laughter filter through his voice modulator.  It was then that you realized that the painful stare you were experiencing was the feeling of him entering your mind, shuffling through your thoughts like a deck of playing cards.  He could see everything.  You knew there was no point in trying to hide anything from him.  It would be pointless and only cause you unnecessary pain.  You tensed when he stopped on one thought in particular, one you hadn’t even realized existed until that very moment.

 

“Does our esteemed General know about this?” Ren asked you out loud, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

  
Your face burned bright red as you answered him, your eyes darting to Hux, who looked confused by your exchange with the Commander.  “No, sir.”

 

“I would recommend keeping it that way, officer.  You wouldn’t want to be disappointed, now would you?”  You could picture the patronizing smirk that you knew was hidden just behind the black metal.

                                                                                                       

“No, sir?” you replied. Your voice sounded less like a definite reply and more like a lingering question.  He leaned forward until he was frighteningly close to you, the front of his mask nearly brushing against the front of your face. 

“Good answer.  Keep in mind that I know everything about you and every other person on this ship.  Even what you keep hidden from yourself.”  He turned on his heel to walk away but paused in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder at you. “Officer,” he told you coldly, “in the future, I suggest you watch your step a little more carefully, and don’t let me catch you out of uniform again.”

The General warily watched Kylo Ren’s retreat down the hall, the way a small animal might keep an eye on a predator lurking nearby.  From such a seemingly inconspicuous action, you could tell the two men did not trust each other at all.  How did they get any work done with their constant feuding? 

“We still need to find Millicent,” he informed you stiffly when Ren finally disappeared around a corner.

“I haven’t had many opportunities to interact with Commander Ren.  Is he usually this…” you searched for a term that would describe the situation you were in without being disrespectful of a superior.

“Intense?” Hux suggested.  “Yes, almost always.  The rest of the time, he’s a sniveling little brat.”

You couldn’t believe General Hux was speaking that way about another high-ranking officer of the First Order.  It seemed out of character for someone so focused on regulations and efficiency to have such a lapse in decorum.  Your shock must have shown on your face because the General made a sound that, if you hadn’t known who he was, could have been mistaken for a laugh.

“Don’t look so surprised, officer.  It’s not exactly a secret that the Commander and I are far from friends.”

“I… I just didn’t expect…”

“You didn’t expect me to speak my mind on such a matter,” he supplied.

“No, sir.”

There was so much that General Hux did that was completely unexpected.  Each interaction with him proved to reveal something new about his personality.  He wasn’t as heartless as you had grown accustomed to seeing during your daily duties.  He was becoming perpetually more confusing to you and so were your emotions towards him. 

Perhaps Commander Ren was right.  Maybe it was best if the General didn’t know what you were thinking.


	6. A Strange Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You continue to be baffled by General Hux, constantly discovering new facets of his personality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating any of my fics for like three months, people. I'm back at it again, and I should be updating more regularly now.

“What was Commander Ren talking about when he was speaking with you?”  the General asked as the two of you resumed combing the hallways of the Finalizer for some trace of Millicent.  “He mentioned something that he felt would be best for me not to know.  As you can imagine, I’m rather intrigued now.”

“Is that an order for me to speak, sir?” you asked nervously, your mind flitting back to the thoughts Kylo Ren had read.

“No, (L/N),” he said, his expression soft, which caught you off guard.  “I was simply curious.  You don’t have to tell me.  Your thoughts are your own affair, and it’s not my place to give you orders to divulge them.”

You exhaled a sigh of relief.  Your mind drifted back to the thought that Kylo Ren had uncovered in your mind, the thought that you hadn’t even recognized yourself until he dug it up.  It was a simple thought, innocent enough, but it was nothing you wanted the General or anyone else aboard the Finalizer to know about.  Part of your apprehension was related to how foolish you knew it would sound if you stated it out loud.  In your head, though, it was pleasant to dwell on – almost comforting to think about. 

As much as the thought took place in your mind, it also took place in your stomach, where it fluttered around like a kaleidoscope of butterflies.  There was a part of you that very much wanted to share it with the General, but you feared the reaction it might elicit.  However, you were beginning to fear the man himself less and less as time passed. 

“You seem like your mind is wandering, (L/N),” Hux chided gently, not reprimanding you as much as trying to draw your attention.  “Don’t forget that we have a task at hand.”

“Right.  Sorry, sir.”

The two of you were walking side by side through the halls.  In all the time you had spent with him throughout the night, you had not once considered the significance of the fact.  Suddenly, though, you realized just what it meant.  Usually, when you saw General Hux walking by, he marched quickly and surely, always with intent and purpose.  If he was speaking with someone at the time, it was not uncommon to see the other person jogging to keep up with him in order to carry on the conversation.  You weren’t walking particularly fast, though.  Had the General slowed down to match your pace?  The thought seemed unlikely, but you had already begun to learn so much about him that seemed equally uncharacteristic.

It surprised you how peaceful the corridors of the ship were at what was deemed to be night.  You were never out of your quarters this late, but it was almost relaxing to wander and explore, even if you were on a specific mission.  You were jolted from your state of calm when you felt the General’s hand brush against your own.

“Sorry, sir,” you apologized as he quickly put some extra distance between the two of you.  You looked up to see his usually pale face rather pink in color.

“No, it’s quite alright.  It was my fault.”  His blush extended to the tops of his ears, which had turned a hue which was only a couple of shades off from that of his hair.  Was he embarrassed?  Unlikely.  General Hux was one of the most self-confident people you had ever met.  He walked with authority in every footfall.  Entire rooms hushed at the sound of his boots clicking on the metal floors.  He inspired fear in the hearts of stormtroopers and high-ranking officers alike.  No, General Hux couldn’t possibly be embarrassed.

“No, I should have been paying more attention, sir,” you insisted.  “I was walking too close to you.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I’m so sorry. I…” Wait.  What did he say?

“(L/N), I don’t mind,” Hux repeated.  “Honestly, this is the closest I’ve been to anyone without yelling at them in quite some time.”

You stiffened.  Was the General planning to yell at you?  Your uneasiness must have been very evident because General Hux spoke again.

“Relax, (Y/N).  I was joking,” he explained. He let out a faint huff of air through his nose that was akin to a sign.  “Well, I was partially joking, at least.”

Joking?  Was General Hux even capable of kidding around?  The thought seemed preposterous.  He was the most somber person you had ever met in your life, and there he was, walking beside you and cracking jokes.  He became more confusing to you with each passing second.  You narrowed your eyes at him, scrutinizing him in his entirety in an attempt to figure out just who exactly the General was.

“It was supposed to be self-deprecating,” he elaborated.  “You know, it’s not really funny anymore if I have to explain the joke.”  He looked at his hand, the one that had brushed against yours.  “I guess it wasn’t really funny to begin with.  I never have had much practice when it comes to casual conversation.  I’m trying my best to behave like a normal human being for once in my life.”  He paused, as if awaiting your response, but you didn’t get the hint.  “Are you going to say anything, (L/N)?”

How were you supposed to say anything when the General just admitted that he was having a casual discussion with you?  Nothing Hux ever did could be described as casual.  You wondered how many other people in the galaxy could say that they had ever had a friendly chat with one of the most terrifying beings in the galaxy.

“Sorry, sir,” you said for what felt like the millionth time that night.  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Don’t worry about what I want you to say, (L/N).  Just say something – anything at all.  You’re allowed to talk to me.  You do know that, do you not?”

“I guess I wasn’t really sure about that, sir,” you admitted.  “You’re my General after all.”

“You’re not under any kind of orders right now,” he reminded you.  “This isn’t an assignment.  You could have declined.  I made that clear to you, didn’t I?”

“Yes, sir, you did.”

“May I ask you a question then, (L/N)?”

“Yes, sir,” you said, “but you don’t need to ask me permission.  You’re my superior.”

“I made it clear that you were by no means obligated to help me find Millicent.”

“Correct.”

“Then why did you say yes?”


	7. A New Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries are made, both internal and external.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that this will be the next-to-last chapter, and I have updated things accordingly. This should say chapter 7/8 now. Things are starting to wrap up.

Why _did_ you say yes?

It was late at night, and you had a bridge shift the next morning.  What were you thinking?  It wasn’t practical to be up this late scouring the ship for a lost cat.  You had been telling yourself that it was because you cared about Millicent’s wellbeing and didn’t want anything to happen to her.  The more you thought about that, though, the more preposterous it seemed.

You liked Millicent, but not enough to give up a whole night’s sleep and risk underperforming at work the next day.  Being fond of a cat had very little to do with it.

It had to be about Hux, didn’t it?  What other reason could there be?  It was because he was the one who asked you.  If anyone else had been outside your quarters in the middle of the night and asked you to go on a wild goose chase, you would have immediately declined.  You finally had to admit to yourself that you weren’t only fond of Millicent.

You should have realized that when Kylo Ren was rifling through your thoughts.  He had seen what you couldn’t and brought it to the forefront of your mind. Of course it was about General Hux.  It had been the whole time, but you just hadn’t been able to see it.  How was it that Commander Ren had been the one to make you realize what you had been hiding from yourself?

It had been a single moving image that he had pulled out of the filing cabinet that was your mind, which had begun endlessly looping through your consciousness since you learned of its existence.  It was innocent but still so outlandish that you could do nothing but dismiss it as a childish fantasy: you and the General holding hands, both of you smiling.  It struck you as being a painfully juvenile thought.

And that was why you didn’t want him to find out about it.

Why did you agree to help him find his cat?

“(L/N)?”

“I heard you reading to Millicent that night,” you blurted out, thinking back to the version of Hux you had seen wrapped in a blanket and reading the history of the Death Star aloud to a cat. “You know, when I was taking care of her and you got back early from Starkiller base.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“Well,” you said softly, “I figured that anyone who reads out loud to his cat must not be such a bad man, and he certainly must care a lot about that cat’s safety and wellbeing.”

His eyes crinkled a bit at the corners as you saw him smile – really and truly smile – for the first time.  “You didn’t agree to help me for Millicent’s sake, did you?” he realized.  “You did it for me.”

Your cheeks heated up, and you knew you were blushing.  You were trying to come up with some kind of response that wouldn’t make you seem like a complete fool.  Just as you opened your mouth to speak, General Hux cut you off, sticking his arm out in front of you to halt your progress.

“Hold that thought.  I think I just found Millicent.”

You turned your head in the direction he was facing to see a group of several stormtroopers circled up together, a couple of them crouching in the floor.  There was laughter coming from the huddle, and a few of the troopers had taken their helmets off to get a better look at whatever it was that they were gathered around. 

“Can you believe this?” one of them laughed cheerfully.  “I never thought I’d see a live animal on the ship.”

“Hopefully no one sees her out of uniform,” someone joked.  “She’ll be reported to the General for sure.”

“No, no!” another trooper exclaimed gleefully. “Look, there’s a little First Order insignia on her collar.  She _is_ in uniform.  She must be an officer.  Are you a good little officer, girl?”

You didn’t have to find Millicent anymore.  Someone else had found her first.  You were almost sad that Hux would have to interrupt their impromptu gathering.  You had never seen the stormtroopers looks so happy before.  Millicent was being treated like a celebrity.

The meeting was quickly broken up as the troopers heard the approaching sound of Hux’s footsteps.  They hurried to put their helmets back on and salute.

“At ease, soldiers,” the General ordered.  “I think you have found something that belongs to me.” He looked pointedly at Millicent, who was rubbing up against the white armor that covered the leg of a stormtrooper.  Her ears perked up at the familiar sound of her owner’s voice, and she pranced over to Hux, purring affectionately as she began to paw at his leg.

He picked her up, and she eagerly nuzzled her little furry head against his neck.  You could no longer see their faces with the helmets on, but you could picture the looks of surprise on the soldiers’ faces.  You imagined that they bore expressions similar to the one you had when you first saw General Hux interacting with his pet.

“You’re dismissed,” he announced.  “Return to your posts.” The soldiers took their leave, some of them glancing back over their shoulders for one last look at the General holding Millicent in his arms.  They would definitely be telling everyone they knew what they had just seen.

You couldn’t blame them for it, either.  If you were seeing what they were for the first time, you would have been spreading the word too.  There was a certain novelty to seeing General Hux looking so… human.  You had only just begun to see him as a normal man yourself.  Well, maybe _normal man_ was the wrong choice of words.  You had recognized finally, though, that Hux was a person, and he wasn’t all that different from you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and have liked the story so far. Feel free to leave comments letting me know what you think. I love to hear from all of you!


	8. A Rare Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millicent has been found. Where does this leave things between you and General Hux?

“Thank you, (L/N), for helping me find Millicent,” said the General as you once again walked through the corridors of the Finalizer.

“You’re welcome, sir.  It was no trouble really,” you replied, keeping pace with him.  “I’m just happy that we found her.”

“Me too.  I was worried about what might happen to her roaming around the ship all on her own.  There are all sorts of things that would be dangerous for her to get into.  Imagine if she had wandered into the engine room or a firing range.”

Your response came out as an unintelligible yawn.

“I’ll override your duty schedule,” he informed you.  Millicent snuggled against his chest as he spoke.  “You’ll have the day off tomorrow.”

“You really don’t have to do that, sir.”

“Of course I do.  I can’t expect you to put in a full shift after I’ve kept you up all night long wandering around the ship.  You don’t have to work in the morning.”

“Thank you, sir, but that’s not necessa…” The end of your sentence was drowned out by another loud yawn.

“Consider it done.”

“I’m not entirely sure what I’d do with a day off, General,” you admitted.

“You could always occupy your time with a book. Do you enjoy reading?”

“Yes, sir, I do.”

“Come with me then,” he told you.  It wasn’t an order.  “I have lots of books.  You can borrow as many as you like.”

You thought back to the shelves of books you had seen in General Hux’s quarters in the past.  They were all heavy tomes that bore ominous titles such as _The Complete Unabridged History of Imperial Rule_ and _The Upper Hand: Commanding Through Force._  None of them seemed like the sort of reading material you would like to peruse to pass the time on your day off.  Nevertheless, you trailed behind the General, watching him duck his head down occasionally to whisper something to Millicent, who was curled up in his arms.

When the three of you – communications officer, general, and cat – arrived at the door to his quarters, Hux stepped aside and asked you to punch the entry code into the keypad, seeing as his hands were a bit full at the moment.  His quarters looked just as they had every single other time you had been inside them.  Nothing had moved even a fraction of a centimeter, just as you were sure the General liked it.  You never ceased to be amazed at how immaculate everything was. 

Once inside, Hux set Millicent carefully on the floor.  You looked warily at his personal library.  Despite the imposing books that lined the shelves, you realized that it was a rare opportunity to be able to borrow a book from the private collection of General Hux.  How many other people in the galaxy could boast of receiving such an honor?

“Here, follow me,” Hux said softly, touching his hand gently against your shoulder to urge you on.  Even such a small gesture did not go unnoticed by you, and your cheeks flushed a bit.  You followed after him, pausing hesitantly when you realized he was stepping through his bedroom door. 

“Don’t worry.  You can come in,” he assured you.  “Remember, I told you before that I would let you know if there was a room you couldn’t follow me into.”

“I know, it’s just that these are your personal quarters, sir.”

“Yes?”

“I thought it might be against protocol to enter the personal quarters of a superior officer without express permission.”

“You’ve been given express permission, (L/N),” he reminded you.

“Right.” You stepped tentatively into the room.

“You can borrow any of these,” Hux informed you, gesturing to a bookshelf against the far wall of his bedroom.

You approached the shelf and trailed a hand across the spines of all manner of books.  There were histories, biographies, and works of fiction that had been translated into basic from what seemed like every known tongue in the galaxy.  You paused to read some of the titles:  _Under the Suns of Tatooine, The Fairest Young Maiden of Alderaan, The Care and Keeping of Rathtars._ There were novels from planets no longer in existence and cultures that had disappeared long ago.  How and where had he acquired such antiquities?  Furthermore, why was he letting you borrow any of them?  You asked him as much.

“I trust that you’ll treat them with respect and bring them back to me in one piece.  I’ve also grown quite fond of you, (L/N),” he admitted with pinkening cheeks.  “You’re an admirable officer and an upstanding person overall.  I think there’s a book here that you would like in particular,” he said, changing the subject back to the matter at hand.

He informed you of the title, and the two of you began to scour the bookshelf, looking for the book amidst the many other volumes he owned.  You looked intently down below, while he searched the higher shelves.  The two of you had fallen into a sort of routine after your night of searching the ship for Millicent.  You spotted the cover and reached for it at the same time as General Hux. 

The two of you froze.

You looked at where your hands lay together over the spine of the book, his on top of yours.  Your heart beat faster as you looked up at the General, who appeared equally dumbstruck.

 As your eyes met, you felt his hand close around yours, and the galaxy suddenly seemed to orbit around the two of you.  As your fingers intertwined, you could feel stars bursting forth into life lightyears away.  As your lips touched, a supernova seemed to overtake your very existence.

Suddenly, the title you had been searching for became just another meaningless phrase in an endless universe of words. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and that's the end.
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone!


End file.
